A TEACHING post in the north of Scotland has been advertised six times by desperate council bosses – attracting just two applicants.
Peterhead Academy in Aberdeenshire has made multiple attempts to secure an English teacher since July last year, with four of the adverts going unanswered.
A total of 47 of the teaching posts currently vacant in Aberdeenshire have had to be re-advertised after council bosses failed to find anyone to fill them.
It comes after it was revealed more than 2,200 teaching posts across Scotland have struggled to attract applicants.
READ MORE: Scottish teachers threaten strikes to win substantial pay rise
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Tavish Scott, who obtained the figures through Freedom of Information laws, branded them “very worrying”.
He said: “The data published by the Liberal Democrats today reveals that it is increasingly common for councils to advertise and not receive a single reply.
“An Edinburgh school has already asked parents for help in finding a maths teacher. More schools and parents may face a similar requirement.
“I know probationers are being asked to provide classroom cover when they are meant to be undertaking professional development – an essential part of achieving their full teaching qualification.
“Support for learning teachers are routinely covering whole classes instead of giving the specialised personalised support that their pupils need.
“Headteachers are phoning around supply lists but are finding there simply isn’t anyone available. Many heads are teaching classes.
“Quite when the Government believes they have time for greater responsibilities is beyond most people in education.
“There are 500 extra teachers in our schools this year. But that only begins to reverse the 4,000 teacher jobs lost since the SNP became the Government 10 years ago.”
Herald View: Time to tackle pay erosion faced by Scotland’s teachers
As well as the posts in Aberdeenshire, figures show one teaching job in Stirling has been vacant for two years.
Bannockburn High School has been hunting for a Home Economics teacher since January 2016, with its first two job adverts receiving no applications whatsoever.
There are currently 169 teaching posts in Scotland that have been advertised multiple times, demonstrating the struggle faced by many councils to recruit enough staff.
Vincent Docherty, Aberdeenshire Council’s head of education, said it had “initiated a variety of innovative ways of filling the numbers of teacher vacancies”.
He added: “This has ranged from using different advertising techniques focussing on both career development and quality of life, as well as using agencies and very successfully offering individual support to new staff.”
He said the council recognised that the “very best way” to recruit new teachers was to focus on training locals who want to switch career or embark on a new job.
READ MORE: Scottish teachers threaten strikes to win substantial pay rise
A Scottish Government spokesman said it was investing in new routes into teaching, as well as providing bursaries of £20,000 to encourage people to change careers and teach key subjects such as science and maths.
He said: “Although teacher recruitment is a matter for local authorities, we recognise some areas have faced challenges filling vacancies.
“This is why we have invested £88 million in 2017, resulting in 543 more teachers than last year – the second year in a row that there’s been an increase in teacher numbers. In Aberdeenshire, the number of teachers increased this year to 2,675 – the highest in over five years.
"We have taken decisive action to help recruit and retain teachers through our Teaching Makes People campaign, focussing specifically on attracting new teachers and career changers into STEM and other subjects.”
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